SB 355 
.1187 
Copy 1 



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A GUIDE 



—TO— 



ueeessful Wruil iSuffurc, 



EMBODYING 



Such information as the farmer and gardener re- 
quires in the management of Fruit Trees and 
Plants, with special instructions for the va- 
rieties usually grown in our country. 



BY BEN A. MORRIS, Nurseryman, 

Canton, Indiana. 



DEMOCRAT STEAM PRINT, SALEM. INDIANA 
1877. 



A GUIDE 



-TO- 



ueeessfuf ]|riii[ ^ulliirc, 



EMBODYING 



Sueh'information as the farmer and gardener re- 
quires in the management of Fruit Trees and 
Plants, with special instructions for the va- 
rieties usually grown in our.eountry. 



BY BEN A. MO'iRIS, Nurseryman. 






CANTON, INDIANA. 

1877. 






INTRODUCTION. 



aJ*Kc 



There are some general rules which may be applied to the 
planting and subsequent management of nearly all fruit trees. 
Some principles you may trace in the growth of all deciduous 
plants. And a common sense application of the rule to the needs 
involved in the principle, would save to the country thousands of 
trees, the farmer from loss and disappointment, and the nursery- 
man a great deal of unjust criticism, and promote a rapid and le- 
gitimate increase of business. To these ends we have devoted the 
following pages. 



>*€ 



a % 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1877, by Ben A. Morris, in the 
office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. 



GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS 



Pruning, Planting, and Cultivation! 



PRUNING. 

There is a striking resemblance in the head and roots of a tree. 
Each grows with the other, and about in the same proportion. As 
the limbs reach out from the body they become large, strong 
and smooth, in that part which forms the connection of the trunk 
with the extremities ; while the twigs, from which grow the wood 
and fruit buds, cluster about the ends of the branches, thus increas- 
ing in the right direction, and in rapid proportion, the fruit-bearing 
capacity of the tree. The same habit of growth occurs in the root. 
The fibrous roots, or "feeders," from which the leaves draw the 
food to maintain the growth of tree and fruit, will be found at the 
terminal extremity of the larger roots. The part which connects 
the fibres and the body, or stump of the tree, becomes hard and 
smooth, and of small absorbing capacity, In the comparative size 
of the roots and branches there will be found a close resemblance, 
while the strength of each is beautifully adjusted to the necessity 
of increased resistance to the storm. The trunk or body is an in- 
dependent member, with no corresponding part, the only office of 
which is to support the head, and convey from one to the other 
what is required for the support of the tree ; and so perfectly and 
rapidly does it perform this function, that a great length, or even a 
serious injury, depriving it of half of its substance, seems scarcely 
to retard the temporary growth of tree or perfection of fruit. 

The growth of a fruit tree, under favorable circumstances of soil 
and culture, is very rapid. In the two or three years of their nurs- 
ery life the roots often reach entirely across the space between the 
rows. Hence in digging it is simply impossible to take them up 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



without in some degree mutilating them, and often seriously ; and 
this is oftener the case with the strong, thrifty growing trees than 
with the weaker varieties. Both roots and limbs possess the power 
of remaining temporarily dormant, the roots in a greater degree 
than the branches ; but in either case it impairs the vitality of the 
tree, hence the necessity of reducing the head until it will corres- 
pond with the already shortened roots. This constitutes the oper- 
ation of pruning. 

Experience has demonstrated the advantages of a head of me- 
dium height. This has created a popular demand for this class of 
trees, hence the nurseryman places them upon the market. If the 
height meets your approval, the operation of trimming is simple, 
to- wit : Cut the limbs back to about one-half their length, pare off 
smoothly the ends of the large roots, if bruised, and plant accord- 
ing to instructions hereafter given. If you want a higher head, 
cut off all the limbs except the straightest, upright shoot, keep all 
limbs below the desired head pinched in to three inches till the 1st 
of September, when they may be cut off close to the tree, leaving 
only those you wish to grow. Your tree will then form a well bal- 
lanced head, in exact proportion to the reduced vitality of the roots. 
If, however, you want a lower head than the tree has as it comes 
to you, cut off the body just above where you intend to start your 
limbs. When there is sufficient growth from which to select a 
head, cut off all surplus growth, and if your branches become too 
long and slender, pinch off the ends, which will cause them to 
thicken up and throw out lateral shoots. In all future pruning the 
object should be to keep the head open, to admit light and air free- 
ly ; keep off all water sprouts, allowing only the natural growth at 
the ends of the branches. This will secure a uniform growth of 
bearing wood, and a succession of moderate, healthy crops of fruit 
equally distributed throughout the tree. 

It is an old saying among fruit men, "Prune when the knife is 
sharp." The knife should always be sharp, but there is some dif- 
ference in the healing power of the tree at different seasons. Win- 
ter pruned trees are liable to some injury by frost, when it becomes 
necessary to shorten in the stump later in the season, and is some- 
times followed by the dying out of the central wood or "heart," 
and the final destruction of the tree by "dry rot." To avoid this 
and secure the rapid healing of the wound, do your trimming at 
any time after the leaves begin to mature (which occurs from 
the 1st to the middle of June), until late in August or the 1st of 
.September, and the larger the tree or the limbs to be cut off, the 
earlier in this season should your trimming be done, though if very 
closely watched and cut in time, it will seldom be found necessary 
to sever a large limb. 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



Early in the spring your trees should have an application of 
weak lye, or thin soft soap, applied with a whitewash brush to the 
lower limbs and body. This will destroy the germ of many in- 
sects injurious to the tree and fruit, and secure that bright, healthy 
growth of bark so often seen and admired in the orchards of suc- 
cessful fruit growers, and add much to the vitality and healthful- 
ness of the tree. The foregoing remarks apply specially to the 
apple, and generally to other varieties, except where instructions 
are given applicable to each particular case. 

PLANTING. 

Every year millions of plants are shipped from Europe to Amer- 
ica. Their freedom from blight makes them more desirable as 
stocks upon which to graft our improved varieties, than American 
grown seedlings. The roots of nearly all your standard Pear and 
cherry and dwarf apple trees are from seedlings grown in France. 
These are taken up, freed from soil and packed in perfectly dry 
moss, in which condition they are shipped to this country. Tbe 
ocean voyage occupies ten to twenty days, and they are often an 
equal length of time reaching their inland destination, in all from 
three to five weeks, surrounded by a packing material in which 
when opened you can detect scarcely a trace of moisture. Some- 
times there is a perceptible shrinkage of bark, but when carefully 
planted in the nursery rows, they grow promptly and vigorously, 
seeming to recover without an effort from the shock of their trans- 
Atlantic voyage. 

Apple grafts,grafted early in the winter, keep in the finest condi- 
tion packed in dry sawdust, and some propagators use for this pur- 
pose kiln-dried sand, and claim superior advantages for it. And 
to take the whole range of nursery planting and transplanting, it 
is the rule that plants grow ; and yet thousands of the same and 
higher grades of trees, with less exposure than usually attends 
their removal in the nursery, die upon the hands of farmers who 
buy them, and the nurseryman, who would have handled the same 
stock, under the same conditions, with entire success, is severely 
censured for the loss. The reason is two-fold : First, farmers are, 
in many cases, ignorant of the first principles of plant growth, con- 
sequently of the simplest rules which should govern them in the 
setting of trees. Second, because such information as has been pub- 
lished has been more theoretical than practical, and couched in tech- 
nical language familiar only to fruit men. One rnan will tell you 
to press the earth gently about the roots with the hand, and an- 
other will say, cover the roots with earth and then pour on water 



6 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 

till all is thoroughly wet ; either of which plans is open to serious 
objections (hereafter explained), and would insure heavy loss ex- 
cept under the most favorable circumstances. 

Try to pull with the hands a small tree which has been undis- 
turbed in its growth from the seed, and you will be surprised how 
firmly it is held in the ground. The soil has yielded to the pres- 
sure of root growth until it is literally packed around them, and 
the little rootlets have extended far from the body and branched 
out in a thousand directions. This is the natural growth of the 
tree, and if you cut off the fibrous roots, leaving only the larger, 
smooth part next to the body, the closely packed earth is ready to 
receive the tender roots starting from the dormant buds, and with 
little intermission continue the growth of the tree. To imitate this 
is the key to successful planting ; and to accomplish it the nursery- 
man finds the "hand pressure" entirely inadequate, and in many 
cases the entire weight of the body upon the foot, and where par- 
ticular care is required, resorts to the "tamper," and plants his 
tender tree as he would set a fence post; and his success in all his 
planting depends mainly upon the firm packing of fine earth about 
the roots. Bedding plants — for instance, sprouts from the peach 
seed — though readily pulled from the bed in which they have 
sprouted, to insure success, must be so firmly planted in the field 
that the plant will "pull into" sooner than come out of the ground; 
and when thus planted, though sometimes in very dry soil, the loss 
is usually very small. 

The pouring on of water is replaced by the "puddle," which is 
simply a mixture of fine earth and water, thin enough to reach 
every fibre and cavity when plunged in, and thick enough to ad- 
here plentifully to the roots. This completely protects the root 
from the air, and furnishes sufficient moisture to sustain the vital- 
ity of the tree until started, while the natural moisture of the 
freshly dug soil is at all times sufficient to meet the natural de- 
mands of the tree at the proper season for planting. Pouring water 
upon the roots will always leave more or less of a hard, dry cake, 
after its absorbtion or evaporation, with very small absorbing ca- 
pacity, almost impervious to root growth near the tree, and with 
cavities at its extremities through which roots will hardly try to 
pass. Trees as you receive them have had little exposure, and are 
generally in good condition, often only a few hours, at most a few 
days, out of the ground. If boxed they may often be left safely for a 
week without removal. If open and you are not ready to plant 
them puddle the roots and heel them in, which is simply covering 
the roots with fine, moist earth. If by any unusual exposure the 
bark is shriveled, cover them up, body, limb and all, in moist earth 
until plump and fresh again, which will be in a short time. 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



When ready to plant, dig your hole a foot larger each way and 
a foot deeper than the roots of the tree intended for it. If your soil 
is not naturally good, it is best to replace it with a fine rich soil, 
similar to that of which your orchard is composed, but with no 
mixture of manure or any light stuff of any kind. Then shape 
your hole to fit the roots intended for it. To say a small mound in 
the centre would not apply to a majority of cases, because perhaps 
one-half of the nursery fruit trees you buy have a tap root, which 
if uninjured is a great advantage to the tree, and ought to be en- 
couraged and accommodated, as it reaches down to a point beyond 
the influence of drouth, and interferes in no way with the functions 
of other roots. For this reason we say dig a foot deeper than would 
accommodate the tree, to encourage a growth of vertical roots 
which, when once started, extend often to a great depth through 
moist subsoil for moisture alone, and greatly enhance the life and 
fruitfulness of the tree. Now puddle the roots ; set your tree at 
about its original deptb, and fill in with finely pulverized soil, tap- 
ping the body gently to settle the earth about the roots, and when 
they are covered tramp it firmly with the foot, seeing that you do 
not bruise the roots. Fill up and tramp again until level with the 
surrounding surface ; then bank up lightly and with little pressure 
with the earth first taken out, two or three inches deep, about the 
body, grading down to the size of hole, making it rather larger 
than smaller, and then mulch. I wish we could say this to and 
impress every man who buys a tree with its unequaled importance 
in all the processes of culture, for among them all no ®ne thing will 
so nearly atone for every error, and save the life of a tree when you 
have failed to do it justice in any other way. To mulch is to cover 
the ground with any material which will shield it from the dry- 
ing influence of sun and wind, and admit rain. To mulch proper- 
ly is to cover with something which will accomplish this, and 
gradually decomposing, furnish plant food for the tree. Those 
giants of vegetable growth, our forest trees, do this by the annual 
shedding of leaves, and the great benefit derived from it may be 
plainly seen in the stunted growth of the few isolated specimens, 
where a large forest has been removed. The scattering growth of 
orchard trees defeats this natural provision, hence the great neces- 
sity of providing artificial protection, and do it immediately. Old 
straw is good, well rotted manure is best ; spent tan, old sawdust, 
blacksmith's parings and filings, any of them will do, and the 
poorest vastly better than nothing. But mulch two to four inches 
deep, and three feet out from the tree, and renew as often as mis- 
placed, clearing off occasionally to destroy all weeds germinating 
beneath, until a suitable time to allow your ground to sod, when it 
will be in the finest condition for a luxuriant set of grass. 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



In the season for planting there is little choice as to favorable re- 
sults. A tree ivell planted at any time, except when in full foliage, 
has nearly all the chances in its favor. If giring either the choice, 
however, embracing all kinds of stock, we would say spring. We 
have seen five hundred peach trees planted when nearly in full 
leaf, with a loss of only twenty trees, or four to the hundred ; and 
all things considered, spring planting is probably attended with 
the best results. But it is an established fact that trees are safer 
from exposure to frost when dug in the fall and "heeled in," than 
when left standing as they grew, hence the advantage of buying in 
the fall. The heeling should be well done, the trees set somewhat 
below their nursery depth, and the earth thrown up around them 
to a height of four to six inches more. This completely protects 
that part of the tree from which we can obtain a strong, healthy 
growth, if killed above, and fiom their close grouping together af- 
fords a general protection to the whole tree. 

During the excessive cold of the winter of 1876-7, there were sev- 
eral thousand peach trees heeled in, as above, under our observa- 
tion. These trees came through the winter fresh and sound, while 
others around them in rows, with equal though no greater ex- 
posure, were killed to the ground. 

CULTIVATION. 

The elements entering into the life of a tree or plant are obtained 
in three ways. 1st, by absorption from the soil ; 2d, by absorption 
from the air ; and 3d, by the chemical action of the sun's rays 
upon them while retained within the cellular tissue of the plant. 
Of these we can control only the action of the soil, and through it 
assist or retard the influence of air and sunlight. Far the largest 
portion is absorbed through the medium of the soil, from which it 
is taken up as a solution in water by the roots, carried by cappilary 
action through the body and limbs to every part of the tree, and 
left by the rapid evaporation of water from the leaves to complete 
the maturity of cell formation, or return in the later periods of 
growth, to fill these same cells with wood, and thus annually add 
to a system which reaches maturity when the tree has arrived at 
the period of full fruitfulness, when the formation of fruit buds and 
fruit creates a new demand, dividing with, and to some extent re- 
placing the wood growth of previous years. Every farmer has 
seen the quick withering of leaves, upon deadening a tree in early 
summer, when exposed to the direct influence of full sunlight. In 
the act of "deadening" the flow of sap from the roots is cut off. 
The process of evaporation is at an end, for the want of something 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 9 

to evaporate, and the leaves wither and droop because the water 
which has constantly filled and extended their porous structure in 
its passage from the roots to the air, is no longer supplied. Thus 
the tree is constantly drawing large supplies of water, saturated 
with plant food, from the soil, and carrying on a most complete 
system of drainage, not only from the immediate locality of the 
roots, but extending by natural cappillary action out into the soil. 
This principle applies not only to trees but to every growing plant, 
hence all weeds allowed to remain, even beyond the radius of root 
growth, either absorb directly or change the natural current of 
drainage from the roots. You know the necessity of clean culture 
in the cornfield, how that a small growth of weeds will check the 
luxuriance of the growing crop until the stalk reaches maturity 
and the grain begins to form. This applies with equal force to the 
young tree. By this, however, we do not mean thorough culture 
through the entire space between the trees, without using the soil 
for other growing crops. Small trees are planted at wide distances 
in view of their future growth and the space they will occupy when 
fully grown, so a large part of the land thus unoccupied in their 
early growth is only waiting for their future use. But we have 
seen that the feeders (fibrous roots) are constantly reaching out 
into new soil, enlarging annually the circumference of root growth, 
so the crops grown in the young orchard, after the second year, 
should be planted farther away from the trees in order to give the 
now rapidly increasing roots all possible encouragement, and the 
full benefit of all the soil they can use. 

We cannot give plain directions in detail, applicable to every 
variety of tree, soil, climate and location, because local influences 
would defeat this plan, even if the space allotted to this work would 
allow it. But for general practice we would say : First, thorough- 
ly prepare your tree soil, as you would for a premium corn crop, 
and plant your tree according to instructions already given ; mulch 
a space three feet square around the tree, and cultivate your land 
in root crop, or corn — avoid the small grains and beans — planting 
the first and second years not nearer than three feet (more if in 
corn) and increasing the distance six inches to a foot annually, for 
three years more, according to the growth of your tree, always re- 
membering that in the long run it will be economy to give the tree 
the benefit of your doubts, if you are not certain as to the proper 
distance, and to keep your soil as f/ond as at first, or if poor, gradu- 
ally improving. 

This carries you up to the sixth year of the orchard life of your 
tree, and a time when we will suggest a change of treatment, and 
will incur the ridicule of some cultivators ; but a wide range of ob- 
servation, the teaching of practical experience, and the judgment 



10 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 

of our oldest and most successful fruit growers, confirms our assur- 
ance of its advantages. The head of your tree now presents con- 
siderable surface to the force the wind. The feeders have extended 
to a greater distance than the branches from the body ; the larger 
roots require more substantial bracing than the soil alone. The 
temporary mulching has prepared a suitable bed for its growth, which 
may now be replaced with a heavy seeding of blue grass over a 
space of 3 to 5 feet in every direction from the tree, still leaving, 
if desired, a space for cultivation, which should be rapidly narrowed 
down for two or three years more, when we would say seed your 
entire orchard to clover. This may have been done without disad- 
vantage at any time after the fourth or fifth year from planting, 
and should not under any circumstances be deferred longer than 
eight or tec years, as the roots are then fast reaching over the en- 
tire surface of soil, and nature has provided in this grass the finest 
of mulching, which should now be constantly applied. 

Your orchard is now completely established, and should be bear- 
ing moderate crops of fruit. This will depend, however, upon the 
local influences of soil, location and growth. If your trees are very 
thrifty, they will be longer coming into bearing, and the treatment 
we have advised has a tendency to promote this result ; but its 
long life and fruitfulness will much more than repay the small loss 
of time occupied by the vigorous preparatory growth of the young 
tree. The heavy crop of corn recmires a long season for its growth 
and maturity. You may put your colt to hard labor, and he can 
perform it under the lash ; but for every day of hard service you 
compel the colt to perform, you lose two in the future horse. If 
your neighbor's trees, with poor attention and a stunted growth, 
produce fruit while yours are yet barren, remember that it is the 
perfectly natural result of the different methods of treatment under 
which they have grown, and that your orchard is laying up a store 
of vitality which will make it prolific, and extend the period of its 
"prime" beyond the time when your neighbor's trees will cease to 
cumber the ground. 

The orchard to which you have given this close attention will 
now be a constant source of pleasure and profit, and the advanta- 
ges you would have derived from the land if not thus occupied, are 
but little impaired, and it may be, by the additional fertility of the 
soil, somewhat improved, as it now furnishes excellent pasture, 
and the falling fruit is readily eaten by hogs, which, with some de- 
vice to keep them from rooting, should be kept constantly in the 
orchard during the premature falling of fruit ; or, if this cannot be 
done, the fallen fruit should be gathered up every day, and all re- 
fuse fed to stock or carried away from the orchard. This destroys 
thousands of insects, which would otherwise multiply rapidly, and 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 11 

materially reduce (often one half) the crop of perfect fruit the or- 
chard would otherwise produce. 

All foregoing remarks apply specially to the apple. Changes 
will be noted where required. 



- ^voj*;o« 



TREE FRUITS. 



».*i«=~^ « 



The Apple. 

For a combination of all the qualities which make fruit desira- 
ble — we may say indispensable — the apple stands pre-eminently at 
the head of the list. Its adaptability to every climate and every 
variety of soil, its healthfulness and generous fruitfulness, its wide 
range of flavor and quality, adjusting it to every taste and condi- 
tion of the system, and chief among excellent qualities, its endless 
season, extending in its fresh, natural condition throughout the year, 
make it of all fruits most to be desired. This fact is being attested 
by the immense number of apple trees being annualy raised and 
sold by the nurseries throughout our country. Farmers are realiz- 
ing the great value and economy of this fruit as food for hogs, and 
it is now an easy thing to obtain a succession of ripening in sweet 
apples which will carry stock through the season from early in 
July until heavy frost, without any attention whatever, and with 
little trouble almost throughout the winter, at an expense of less 
than one-half the cost of any other method. 

It is unnecessary here to enter into a detail of the profits arising 
from fruit culture. A small calculation, or reference to any ener- 



L2 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



getic fruit man who has followed (he business for a series of years, 
will show in a moment that at the lowest market price, an average 
crop of apples, on average farm land, will pay a larger net profit 
than any ordinary farm crop. If you urge the objection that the 
labor usually expended on farm crops is lost, we would suggest the 
manufacture of vinegar. A good quality of cider vinegar is never 
a drug upon the market, and it will increase the value of your ap- 
ples to about one dollar per bushel. These figures are not fictitious, 
and can be easily attested at any time. We have seen a realization 
of fifty dollars cash and a surplus of apples enough for family use, 
through the year, from a town lot of less than an acre of land. A 
neighbor, an excellent farmer, who suffered the loss of fruit trees, 
fences, a large barn roof, damage to out-houses, the almost com- 
plete destruction of yard of ornamentals, and about one-fourth of 
his apple orchard, in a recent storm, remarked, "The only thing I 
feel like I couldn't replace is the apple trees; they arc my greatest 
loss." 

Perhaps the best distance for planting apple trees, all things con- 
sidered, is about 33 feet. This gives each tree over 1000 square feet 
of ground room, and it will be many years before they will inter- 
fere with each other at that distance. Some planters hold to the 
old time space of 40 feet, and there will come a time in the life of 
the tree, or orchard, when, if in strong soil, its productiveness and 
chances of long life will be enhanced by this wide space between 
the trees. This will do if you are planting for posterity, but for 
your own use you will obtain more fruit from 10 trees 33 feet apart 
than from 30 trees 40 feet apart. 

As you examine the catalogue of any large nursery, you will be 
impressed with the large number of varieties, nearly all highly 
recommended, and perhaps many of which you have never heard ; 
and in the selection of an orchard you are tempted to try as many 
of them as you can accommodate, for the sake of novelty, and hop- 
ing you may find something better than any kind you have in 
bearing, or have heretofore known. This is well enough if you 
will confine yourself to a small number of the new kinds, and trust 
the nurseryman's judgment for the selection. You should have a 
few of each new variety, as this is the only way to test their merits 
in your locality ; but for your general planting, buy the varieties 
you know to do well in your own neighborhood, or, what is better, 
leave your selection to the nurseryman, remembering that the long 
list of varieties you have seen in the nursery catalogue is designed 
for a variation of two or three hundred miles of latitude, while in 
a much shorter space, with some local differences, one might be 
valuable and another worthless. A Rhode Island Greening, and 
other apples of its class, suitable only for the extreme northern 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. !•' 



limit of our country, would be about as valuable for fruit in Ken- 
lucky as a water beech, and yet there is usually a louder call for 
northern apples south than north. 

And there is one oilier point worthy of special notice here, which 
is the fact that no man, without a more intimate knowledge of 
fruits than our farmers generally have the means of obtaining, is 
likely to select a fruit list that will secure him a succession of 
ripening throughout the season. What has been said of sweet ap- 
ples for stock is equally true of your family orchard, from which, 
if properly selected, you can obtain a succession of ripe fruit of ex- 
cellent quality throughout flu year. This matter is carefully stud- 
ied by the nurseryman, first in the grafting and budding of trees, 
and, when submitted to his own judgment, in the filing of orders, 
and his reputation and success in business depend upon his fidelity 
to his customers, and the promptness and accuracy with which he 
meets the wants of the people. Hence the absurdity of the suppo- 
sition so often indulged, that he fills orders at all hazards, regard- 
less of variety. 

It is well known that to secure a prompt and tegular market for 
any kind of produce, the supply must be sufficient to create a "cur- 
rent" of demand. If you are a potato grower, and every year put 
upon the market 500 or 1000 bushels of a good variety of choice po- 
tatoes, the constant supply and the certainty of it will create a de- 
mand for your produce far beyond the realization of the smaller 
markets around you, and the competition thus centering in your 
trade,8pring and hold upyour prices regardless of the ordinary mar- 
ket fluctuations. >So with fruit. The larger your supply the more 
easily you will find a market for it ; and the less your number of 
varieties, the greater will be the regularity with which you can 
supply it, and the labor of handling will be much reduced ; so, we 
repeal;, buy only such varieties as you know to be profitable, or, 
leave your selection to the nurseryman. 

There has been in the pa&t a very reasonable objection to the 
planting of apple trees in small spaces, on account of their long 
period of growth, and large size when at maturity. This is now 
entirely removed in the propagation of dwarf apple trees, which 
bear two or three years after planting, and produce heavy crops 
for many years, occupying but 8 or 10 feet of space, and making a 
very handsome ornamental tree. 

The Pear. 

No other fruit in the length of its season, its great variety and 
adaptation to the wants of the people will compare as favorably 
with the apple ; while in productiveness and long life it surpasses 



14 SUCCESSFUL FBUIT CULTURE. 



it, and for richness and delicacy of flavor it has no equal among 
fruits. It is propagated both as dwarf and standard ; and for the 
planting of standard pear trees, with some deepening of the hole, 
the general directions already given are sufficient. In the planting 
of dwarf trees the only particular difference to be observed is plac- 
ing the junction of the pear tree and quince root below the surface 
of the soil. This will protect the junction, which is the most ten- 
der point and give you, in its early life, all the advantages of the 
dwarf tree, and often send out roots from the pear wood, thus 
making a standard tree when the dwarf would be on the decline. 
Standard trees should be planted 20 to 25 feet apart; dwarf 10 to 
12J feet, so in case of the double rooting one-half of the trees may 
be cut away, leaving an orchard of standard trees. 

The pear has always had a market at the most paying prices, 
the finer varieties often reaching up to $15 or $20 per barrel, while 
very fine specimens have sold in New York at $60 per barrel. 
These figures, of course, cannot be relied upon for general sales ; 
but they show the estimate placed upon this fruit in the larger 
fruit markets, and the opening thus offered for successful pear 
growers to realize handsomely upon their investment. 

Blight is the greatest enemy of the pear tree. If your trees blight 
cut off' the blackened limbs entirely below the stain and burn them. 
If your soil is naturally strong do not add any manure. If light — 
and we think a light, warm soil preferable for the dwarf pear — give 
an occasional top-dressing of manure. After three or four years of 
thorough cultivation, seed the standard pear orchard down to 
clover, always allowing the second crop to rot on the ground ; but 
the highest success in dwarf pear culture has been attained by con- 
stant thorough cultivation, and the annual shortening in one-half 
of the previous years growth. Allow the dwarf to branch out near 
the ground. The standard may be trimmed up without disadvant- 
age, if desired. There is one feature about the ripening of the pear 
wherein it differs from any other fruit, and makes it very desirable 
in places where fruit is liable to theft. This is the property of 
ripening more perfectly in the house than on the tree ; and many 
kinds that are only ordinary, if allowed to ripen on the tree, 
acquire the highest flavor and richest aroma when matured upon 
the shelves of the fruit room. This applies to every season, sum- 
mer as well as winter ; and the proper season for gathering is 
when, upon gently raising the fruit, it will separate easily from 
the tree. It should then be removed to a dark, cool room and laid 
separately upon shelves. And the man who has never thus ripen- 
ed a pear may then enjoy such a luxury in fruit as he never has 
before. 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 15 



The Peach. 

This fruit is well known everywhere south of the 40th parallel, and 
is grown successfully, in favorable locations, at a much lower lati- 
tude; and so profitable has it proven under proper management 
that peach growers who have made it a business have found it to 
pay well when they have gathered but one full crop in five years, 
while for family use it is indispensable. Unlike the apple and 
pear, its season is short, continuing only through the summer and 
early fall ; but the tree is very productive, and the fruit, either 
dried, canned or preserved, retains its flavor in a remarkable de- 
gree. Except in planting, the entire mode of treatment is different 
from that of the apple. The tree as it goes into your hands is 
usually of but one year's growth, and you will find upon the body 
a succession of buds and branches, alternating from bottom to top, 
and beginning with buds. Your first operation is to cut off all the 
limbs, leaving the body straight and smooth, and then cut off the 
body just above the set of buds from which you wish to form your 
head. From these the tree will push out a healthy, symmetrical 
top, in exact proportion to the vitality of the roots ; and you will be 
surprised to see how quickly you will have a strong, evenly-headed 
tree. The height of the head from the ground has little to do with 
the bearing capacity of the tree. Yet there is a wide difference of 
opinion, or theory, we think without much foundation, as to the 
proper height of a peach tree head ; perhaps owing, chiefly, to 
the advantages of a high tree on low ground, where the fruit is 
often confined to the highest branches, while that on low limbs or 
low trees is generally destroyed by frost. This might be duly con- 
sidered in low-ground planting, where it is impossible to do better. 
But in favorable situations, on high grounds, where the height of 
the tree would afford no protection from frost, we would give the 
low head the preference. From the low tree you can often gather 
the entire crop of fruit without the use of a ladder or other means 
of elevating yourself. The limbs, though often growing to con- 
siderable length, preserve a uniformity in size and strength, allow- 
ing them to bend under their load of fruit without breaking ; or, if 
necessary, making it easy to prop them up, while the wider open- 
ing of the head admits sunlight and secures the even ripening of 
the fruit. The low tree is less liable to injury by storms and more 
easily trimmed, while the imaginary objection that the fruit is less 
perfect is entirely exploded by the experience of our largest peach 
growers, who say that they gather the finest of fruit often from 
very low branches, and sometimes resting upon the ground. 

Wm. F. Willey, Esq., one of the largest and most successful 
peach growers in Southern Indiana, starts his limbs from the 



16 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 

ground, and an experience of thirty years devoted to peach grow- 
ing confirms him in the practice. To do this it is necessary to cut 
off the body at planting below the lowest set of limbs, when all 
future attention required is to allow only such growth as you wish 
to form your head, and when in bearing, if very thrifty, to shorten 
in the previous years growth about one- half. Another requisite in 
the production of perfect fruit is thinning when heavily loaded. 
This is most readily done when the fruit is about as large as quails' 
eggs, by a sweeping stroke on one side of the limb with alight pole, 
or more carefully, in small orchards, by hand, as in this way you 
can remove all imperfect fruit. The crop, if full, may be reduced 
in this way often one half; and this thinning, severe as it may 
seem at the time, except in seasons of great scarcity, will always 
add to the money value of your entire crop. 

The greatest enemy of the peach tree is the "borer," u white 
grub, hiding itself under the bark just at the surface of the soil, 
sometimes girdling the body entire and killing the tree. Its pres- 
ence may be detected by the "gum'' or jelly issuing from the 
wound, and where this is seen the borer may generally be found by 
scraping off the gum and dead bark by which it is protected. An- 
other method practiced by some cultivators, indiscriminately upon 
all their trees as a means of protection and cure, is to pour boiling 
water about the body of the tree at the ground. This does not in- 
jure the tree and is attended with the best results. Another pre- 
ventive, less troublesome, and we think adopted by Mr. Willey, 
which should be a sufficient guarantee of its success, is the sowing 
of blue grass seed close about the body of the tree ; and we may 
add, from the same high authority, the necessity of constant, thor- 
ough, broadcast cultivation. 

The Cherry. 

This is the earliest in ripening of the tree fruits, and is univer- 
sally esteemed for tart or desert, while its earliness, its freedom 
from disease, and its regular and prolific bearing, make it desirable 
both for home use and for market; and of all fruit trees, when 
properly plauted, it requires the least attention. The one con- 
dition of its healthy growth and fruitfulness is a dry, sandy, or 
gravelly, soil. It is very impatient of wet land and short-lived 
when thus exposed, but planted in dry ground it lives almost with 
the apple ; bears in two or three years from planting, and continues 
to bear regular and heavy crops of fruit for an indefinite length of 
time. It requires no pruning except to cut away an occasional 
dead or crossing limb ; is better with little or no cultivation and 
requires no other attention except an occasional application for 



SUCCESSFUL. FRUIT CULTURE. 



borees. It is grown in sufficient variety to suit every taste, and is 
too well and favorably known to need any recommendation. 

The Plum. 

It ranks with the finest of our tree fruits, and, except for its 
enemy in the curculio, would be universally grown for its ex- 
cellence in flavor and great productiveness. The ravages of this 
insect, however, make a serious drawback in the production of the 
finer sorts, as persons who are not regularly engaged in fruit grow- 
ing are apt to neglect the very necessary precautions in the pres- 
ure of spring work — just at the time when constant attention is 
required to produce a crop of fruit. The only curculio remedy 
which has proved entirely succeesful is to catch and kill them. 
They begin to sting the fruit as soon as the blossom falls, and from 
four to six weeks followiug this time spread a sheet under the tree 
early every morning ; then strike a sharp blow with a mallet upon 
the stump of a limb sawed off for the purpose, when the insects 
will fall into the sheet and must be destroyed. This must be done 
early, as a little sunlight warms them up, so the disturbance causes 
them to fly away only to return again. Failure to do this is gen- 
erally failure to secure a crop of plums; but if persevered in, the re- 
turns of fruit will amply compensate for the trouble. Hogs kept 
constantly in the orchard during the fruit season will aid ma- 
terially in the destruction of insect life. The efforts of fruit grow- 
ers have been directed for years to the production of a variety 
which, retaining the fine flavor and size of the finer kinds, would 
be less liable to injury by the sting of the curculio and possess the 
hardiness of tree and bearing qualities of the Chickasaw family. 
This end has been reached in the propagation of the Wild Goose 
plum ; and from this variety it is possible to obtain full crops of fruit 
without the precautions necessary in the more tender kinds, though 
with this the same care would insure complete success. The plum 
flourishes in a heavy clay soil, without much cultivation and is 
grateful for an occasional top-dressing of common salt. Plant 15 
to 20 feet apart. 

The Quince. 



For preserving and as a flavoring for other preserved fruits, the 
quince has no equal, and in its peculiar pleasant flavor, no sub- 
stitute among fruits. It thrives best in a rich, moist soil, with 
occasional top-dressing of good manure, and is better of cultivation 
in its early life, though needing little pruning except to preserve a 
moderately open head, and cut away small dead branches which 
will frequently occur. The tree is of long life, and when in bearing 



18 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



\ 



continues to produce heavy crops for many years, and has proven 
very productive when given the refuse of the wash-house, with an 
occasional application of common salt. It always finds ready sale 
in the market, and will bear shipment with ordinary care almost 
any distance without injury. 



SMALL FRUITS. 



»T-»^?5<r.^ 



We now approach the consideration of a class of fruits applicable 
to every locality and situation, requiring, as a rule, less care than 
the ordinary garden or field crops, and yielding so abundantly that 
a very small space planted, with only fair attention, will yield 
enough for family use throughout the summer, and often make a 
handsome return from the surplus fruit in market. Yet we find 
only a few farm gardens even moderately supplied with these 
luxuries ; or what would be regarded, if its value was known, from 
a medical standpoint, as one of the indispensable necessities of the 
farm or household. 

A farmer who has tried both ways, writes to a farm journal as 
follows : "After I had farmed a few years in this style (without 
fruit) I planted a half acre of strawberries in the spring. That 
season I gave it the same culture as I did my corn. The next 
season was not favorable for a crop, but after using what we could 
I sold the balance and found I had about $90 left clear of expenses. 
That season I did not bother with them at all, but let them have 
their own way. And the next spring, after using what we wanted 
for table use (about six quarts per day) and canning, and paying 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



19 



expressage to the city, and five cents i>er quart for selling, I bad 
$216 left." And he adds : "But don't plant strawberries alone ; 
plant also raspberries and grapes. With these three varieties you 
have a continued supply of fresh fruit from early in June until 
frost." 

The Strawberry. 

In the list of small fruits the strawberry is the first to ripen, and 
it is easily raised and very prolific. It is probably safest to plant 
in the spring ; but in this case you need expect no return in fruit 
until the following year, when you will have a fair crop. Fall 
planting, if favorable, will yield something the next season ; and 
if planted immediately after the bearing season, you may expect 
about half a crop. It thrives best in a sandy or gravelly loam, and 
has yielded with this soil and proper care in cultivation over two 
hundred bushels per acre. For field culture plant in rows '31 feet 
apart, setting plants 15 inches in the row. This gives about 12,000 
plants to the acre. Allow the runners to root for about nine inches 
each way, when they will form a solid bed in a year from planting, 
which, with a mulching of spent tan or sawdust, will remain in 
fair condition, if on previously cleaned land, for two to four years, 
when it should be reset in another place ; the old bed allowed to 
remain until the new one comes into bearing, and then broken up 
and used for other planting until needed for another removal of 
strawberry plants. Whatever the mode of planting, the beds 
should remain undisturbed, except by the pulling of weeds, until 
the bearing season is past, when it should be kept scrupulously 
clean and cultivated through the remainder of the season. Bear 
this in mind : Let your bed go into the winter clear of weeds, and, 
if on fair dry soil, you may expect a full crop of berries every year. 
Anotner precaution which will often add much to the quality and 
quantity of the fruit, is covering the beds with clean straw, eight 
or ten inches deep, late in the fall and removing it when danger of 
frost is past in the spring. The straw should be entirely free from 
weed seeds, and is at hand on nearly every farm and its use will 
pay largely in the increased yield and fineness of fruit, and some- 
times save the vines from destruction by frost. 

The Raspberry. 



The raspberry follows the strawberry in its season of ripening, 
and affords a succession of fruit specially adapted to the season and 
to the wants of those having but a small space to devote to fruit 
culture, as it thrives well in any good soil and may be planted 
along the garden fence, which will answer all the purposes of an 



20 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



expensive trellis and thus occupy but little space that could be 
otherwise profitably employed. When thus planted it is difficult 
to cultivate and will repay heavy mulching. For field culture 
plant in rows six feet apart and three to four feet in the rows. 
Check the growth of the canes when three feet high by pinching 
in, and the following spring cut off the side shoots to a foot in 
length. Remove the old stalks, and, if more, all but four of the 
strongest new canes and tie them together, forming a stool about 
ten inches in diameter. This is most readily and cheaply done 
with small wire cut in lengths of thirty inches and bent in fish- 
hook shape at each end. This placed about midway of the canes 
forms a firm support, and the same wires can be used for a number 
of years. It is better to mulch heavily along the row, as you can 
not cultivate very close, and then cultivate thoroughly between 
the rows, avoiding much disturbance of the roots until the bearing 
season is past. 

The Blackberry. 

The blackberry requires the same care as the raspberry, and 
should be planted in rows seven feet apart. 

The Gooseberry. 



In season for cooking this fruit precedes all others, as it makes a 
very good sauce from 20th to last of May, at a time when the sys- 
tem requires a fruit acid and when there is usually a dearth of fruit. 
It enjoys a warm, rich soil ; should be planted four by seven feet 
and be well mulched and cultivated. It requires no pruning except 
pinching in in June and keeping off all suckers, and is best trim- 
med in tree form with a body of six inches. This plan will secure 
the finest.fruit ; but where this is not an object, the amount of fruit 
will probably be increased by allowing it to become a "bush," 
starting with many brances from the ground. A dozen plants, 
making a row fifty feet in length, in connection with other fruits, 
will produce a supply for family use and occupy only a small part 
of a family garden. 

It is not our intention in this work to enter into a discussion of 
variety, but of the gooseberry we would advise for general planting 
only the native sorts — "Houghton," "Downing" and "Mountain 
Setdling" — as they are more hardy and productive, and with 
proper treatment,lto-wit : plenty of sunlight and good cultivation, 
entirely free from mildew. 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 21 

The Currant. 

This plant thrives in any good garden soil, and will bear heavi- 
ly in almost any location, hence the common practice of planting 
it in the shade of trees or by the fence, and the moisture and shade 
thus afforded seems rather than otherwise to increase the size of 
the fruit. But this is always attended with a corresponding reduc- 
tion in the amount and quality, and persons who have never grown 
it in open ground, with clear cultivation, can have no idea of the 
improvement in richness and flavor of the fruit thus produced. 
Plant in rows 6 feet apart, setting plants 4 feet in the row, or, for 
garden culture, where the horse cultivator is not used, the planting 
may be a foot closer — and this remark applies to all other small 
fruits — but it is always desirable, when practicable, to cultivate by 
horse-power, as it is more quickly and thoroughly done. Leached 
ashes is the best manure for the currant, and ought to be intimate- 
ly mixed with the soil before planting. If this has not been done, 
it may be applied to the surface and hoed or plowed in at any time. 
Like the gooseberry, it will give the most satisfactory results in the 
form of a tree, with 4 to 6 inches of body. At planting, all sprouts 
and buds below the surface must be rubbed off, or they will give 
continual trouble afterwards. After forming a head of sufficient 
size, there will be a constant tendency to make water-sprouts, that 
should be pinched off' as they appear, or, if the head is too open, 
may be allowed to grow to a few inches and then pinched in. 
White helebore will destroy the currant worm, if it makes its ap- 
pearance. 

The Grape. 

Man has been a vine-dresser from the earliest ages. When the 
Ark rested and the waters were ebbing from the warm slopes of 
Arrarat, "Noah began to be a husbandman and he planted a vine- 
yard" in the rich debris of the flood, and, in his gratitude for de- 
liverance and promised prosperity, he drank too deeply, setting an 
example which his posterity have followed diligently ever since. 
But the curse has rested upon those who have abused this great 
blessing, and the vine has continued healthy and fruitful and is 
to-day more widely disseminated than any other fruit-producing 
plant, and, unlike many others, the improvement of the fruit has 
only kept pace with a corresponding increase in the strength and 
fertility of the vine ; so that the care which a hundred years ago 
was a necessity in the production of an average yield, will now in- 
sure the most bountiful returns. 

Much has been written and wisely, too, upon grape culture ; but 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



in tracing back the instructions upon this head through this and 
part of the last century, they will be found to apply, chiefly, to 
those engaged largely in the business of grape growing for wine or 
market, and who, it is supposed, will give it their exclusive atten- 
tion, for the sake of the largest possible yield from a given space. 
This is, of course, always desirable, but requires more care than 
the farmer or man of business can bestow upon his vineyard, as 
without it, the very means employed to promote the greatest yield 
of fruit may result in the destruction of the crop. Hence, as there 
are many elaborate works upon this subject within easy reach of 
those intending to engage largely in grape culture, what is said 
here will apply chiefly to the man who plants a small vineyard for 
family use, or a limited market, and has but little time to devote 
to their cultivation and training. 

The vine thrives best in a warm, light soil, of limestone forma- 
tion. Before the introduction of the earlier ripening and hardier 
varieties, it was found necessary to carefully avoid the addition of 
manure, except by the natural decomposition of some light mulch- 
ing material, such as chaff, short straw, etc. But the necessity of 
constant mulching was very forcibly argued by French vine- 
growers a hundred years ago ; and while this precaution in the ap- 
plication of manure is much modified by the improvement effected 
by modern crossing and the propagation of new varieties from 
seedlings of special merit, it is still found much better to thorough- 
ly incorporate the manure with the soil by deep cultivation for two 
or three years previous to planting than to manure at planting, or 
any future time, except by light top-dressing, or, as before stated, 
the gradual rotting of the mulch. Home planters have been 
eminently successful by turning under successive crops of clover 
until their soil was in good condition, and continuing the same 
treatment annually after planting, plowing at such a time as the 
ripening seed would insure another set of grass ; others by mowing 
the first and allowing the second crop to rot on the ground. But 
under other conditions of soil or location, this method has proved 
a failure ; and probably the only advice applicable to every case 
would be to plant in a warm, light, fertile soil, followed by top- 
dressing and thorough cultivation or mulching, and an occasional 
application of slaked lime to the entire surface of vineyard soil. 

The vine, with some encouragement, roots deeply ; and this 
feature seems to be a provision of nature to guard against the com- 
bined effect of excessive moisture at the surface and the heat of the 
sun, to which the ripening fruit is very sensitive ; and where the 
highest flavor and perfection of fruit is desirable for the production 
of the finest wines, it has been regarded as an important part of 
the cultivation to annually sever the surface roots from the vine, 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



leaving only those which extended to a depth beyond the in- 
fluence of sudden changes of temperature and humidity. Hence 
in planting it is important to set the vines deep enough to accom- 
modate, in their natural position, or with some depression, all the 
roots, and give them the benefit of a thorough preparation of soil 
to the same or greater depth. What has been said (page 7) about 
mixing manure with the soil used in filling the hole in the planting 
of trees, is even more applicable to the vine, as the roots of this 
plant are more tender and sensitive to changes of every kind, and 
extend themselves in a much more rapid proportion to the wood 
growth while young, than occurs in the tree. To show the impor- 
tance attached to this point, I cannot do better than to quote from 
a very early and authentic authority, a writer in "Young's Annals 
of Agriculture," published just a hundred years ago. He says: 
"But here I must clear up a point which has led many people into 
mistakes, and rendered this work more tedious, and that is the 
throwing into the holes in which the vines are planted rich mold 
mixed with old dung, thinking that this must be a great advan- 
tage to the vine. This is a great mistake, for as soon as the vine 
shoots its roots beyond the rich mixture into the common soil, 
which is many degrees poorer and colder, the roots shrink back, 
as it were, at a coldness and poverty they have not been used to, 
and the vegetation is stopped, and the plant dwindles into poverty 
and barrenness. And if you examine the plant at the bottom you 
will find that instead of extending its roots to their usual length, it 
has shot out a great number of small fibres, like threads, which 
extend no further than the good mould ; and these being quite in- 
sufficient to answer the demands of nature, the plant perishes, or 
remains in an inactive and barren state ; whereas, had the vine 
been planted in common soil at first, it would have met with no 
alteration, no sudden change to check its growth. This shows that 
the soil should be well mixed. And let me tell you, once for all, 
that the vine delights in a warm, comfortable, fruitful soil, but 
proves unfruitful and perishes in a soil cold and barren. Yet a 
soil may be too rich or made too rank by dung, and this extreme 
is also to be avoided." 

In the foregoing remarks it has not been the intention to dis- 
courage the planting of vines upon any soil except such as is spe- 
cially adapted to their growth, but to give such directions as would 
enable those who have a variety of soil to choose their location in- 
telligently, and to save from disappointment such as would engage 
in vine growing largely without these conditions. The vine will 
bear fruit, though sometimes inferior in quality, in almost any 
soil, and the freedom of its growth, the small space it occupies, and 
medicinal virtues of the grape, should impel every man, Avhatever 



24 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 

his soil or location, to plant a few vines, as it will be of profit. 

The operation of pruning is at once simple and complex. To 
trim in a way that will secure a healthy growth of vine, and mod- 
erate hearing, with a limited degree of attention and labor, requires 
but little skill or labor; while to bring into activity all the powers 
of the vine, obtaining the largest quantity of the finest fruit it is 
capable of producing, demands the closest attention, and a degree 
of experience and study incompatible with the ordinary duties of 
farm life. And as such instruction can be found readily elsewhere, 
and is not within the province of this work, we will confine our- 
selves to the former method. 

Before saying more upon this subject, however, let us refer again 
to the inexorable law of nature, that for every strain upon the vi- 
tality of plant or animal before maturity, it pays the heaviest pen- 
alty in the limit of its future usefulness. The vine will often bear 
at two years old, but this early fruitfulness will always retard and 
sometimes entirely check the growth ; and while elated with his 
early prospect of fruit, the disappointed planter will wonder why 
Liis vine fails to grow, and blame the mac who "cheated him out 
of" the small sum it cost him. The vine often makes a feeble 
growth the first year after planting. If very weak it should be cut 
back to two buds (never' to one, as the first bud often fails to grow). 
If moderately vigorous, and two vines are desired for trellis train- 
ing the following year, three buds may be left ; but we would never 
advise this treatment, for. we think, as a rule, that there is more 
•lost than gained by it. During the second season, if impatient to 
see your vine forming upon the trellis, it may be trained in the 
way you expect it to go, and held in that position by pieces of soft 
leather passed around it and tacked firmly with one small nail to 
the wall. But you will lose nothing in time by again cutting it 
back to the number of buds you wish to form vines, and beginning 
the training with the third year's growth. If, however, you do 
permit the growth of the second year to remain, strike off all 
bloom setting upon it the third year, and throw the whole force of 
the vine into a continuation of wood growth. The following sea- 
son you may have a moderate setting of fruit without any serious 
injury, if the plant is thrifty, and if properly trimmed this matter 
will hereafter take care of itself. 

The easiest method of training is upon a single trellis, and for 
this purpose the side of an out-house or the top of a garden fence 
may be often used by the farmer with good results. Tf the side of 
a building is used, the vine may be allowed to form one, two or 
three leaders (stationary vines), according to the space to be occu- 
pied, and these leaders may be trained either vertically to the top 
of the building, or to any height desired, and then at right angles 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 25 

across the wall. In either case a distance of 4 to (i feet should be 
left between the vines intended to remain. The annual trimming 
should be performed soon after the falling of the leaves, and never 
later than in February, and when trained as above, the previous 
season's growth should be cut hack within two buds of the leader. 

Where more extensive planting is intended, as for a small vine- 
yard, a system of stake training is in every way most desirable, as 
it involves the least labor in the care of vines, and renders thor- 
ough cultivation < asy. In this case plant G feet apart each way, 
and cut-back the first and second year's growth to a single growing 
bud (always remembering that (he first hud may he inert), tying 
your vines, as they grow, to temporary stakes, for protection dur- 
ing cultivation. The third year you may allow a single vine to 
remain for bearing the following year, when it will he necessary 
to set permanent stakes for the support of the hearing wood. The 
fourth year another vine must be started from the lowest bud, and 
supported in its growth by the temporary stake, which should be 
kept in place for this purpose. This vine is intended for bearing 
the following year, and when eight or ten feet long may be pinch- 
ed oft, which will cause it to mature before there is danger of in- 
jury from frost. About 6 feet is the right height for stationary 
posts, and it will he found convenient to have holes bored, crossing 
each other, near the top, through which you can pass wooden pins 
to assist in the support of the vines. After passing over this sup- 
port the terminal end of tin- healing vine should extend within 2 
feet of the ground, and this also should lie tied to the post. This 
system of stake training simply involves following out the method 
just explained, with an increase in the number of bearing vines in 
proportion to the increasing strength of the root. The ratio of in- 
crease of bearing wood must he controlled by the judgment of the 
cultivator, as no directions can he given applicable to the variety 
of soil and treatment they would encounter. Two vines maybe 
tied on opposite sides of the same post, and a third, and even a 
fourth may sometimes he crossed at right angles, but it is best to 
avoid a great accumulation of foliage and fruit, and where more 
than two or three vines are allowed to fruit, it will be found hetter 
to use two stakes for their support. Where winter protection is 
necessary, the vines may he loosened from the posts, bent care- 
fully down to the ground and covered with straw, and a light cov- 
ering will often afford great protection. 

As to a favorable exposure in planting, there can he little said 
which would lead to a definite conclusion, as its influence seems to 
he much modified by circumstances, and every exposure has proven 
favorable at different times and places. But whatever your soil, 
location or circumstances, we would say, plant a few vines, and 



26 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



enjoy under their shadow a luxury, the excellence of which has 
made it, in all ages, an emblem of fruitfulness and unity. 



Distances for Planting. 

Apple 33 feet Strawberry 1 x 3£ feet 

Pear, standard 25 " Raspberry 4x6 " 

Pear, dwarf 12£ " Gooseberry 4x6 " 

Peach 1.5 to 20 " Blackberry 4x7 " 

Cherry 20 " Currant 4x6 " 

Plum 15 to 20 " Grape 6x6 " 

Quince 12 to 15 " 



EVERGREENS. 



It has not been many years since most of the finer evergreens, 
now so generally known, and forming a prominent figure in near- 
ly all lawn decorations, were comparatively rare. Years of exper- 
iment proved that many of the heavier leaved, close growing, for- 
eign varieties, grew to perfection when transplanted to our soil, 
while their density, their rapid growth, their symmetrical form, 
and comparative freedom from the formation of limbless trunks, 
makes them in every way moie desirable both for ornament and 
utility than the native varieties. As an ornamental tree, their 
chief beauty is in their evergreen foliage, from which they derive 
their common name. 

A common error in planting all Kinds of ornamental trees, is 
grouping them too closely together. As usually procured they are 
small, and in their distribution, at planting, it seems to be the 
special aim to observe the same proportions of distance to size that 
is desirable in trees of many years growth. So it frequently oc- 
curs that in a few years it becomes necessary to remove one-balf 
of the trees, and thus break the variety and destroy the symmetry 
of the group. No inflexible rule can be given for this, as the same 
variations occur in their habits of growth, owing to variety, soil 
and pruning (or the neglect of it), that are found in decidious trees. 
But it is safe to say, that with ordinary attention in trimming they 
should never be planted closer than 15 feet for the compact varie- 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 27 

ties and 20 to 25 feet for the strong, thrifty growers. And this ap- 
plies with equal force to the distance of trees from buildings and 
especially dwellings, as a tree which would not in many years 
come in direct contact with the house, might soon obscure the 
view of a fine landscape in the same line of direction. 

But to beautify our yards is not the only office of the evergreen. 
The intelligent farmer is prompt to acknowledge the great saving 
of food by the provision of a suitable shelter for his stock from the 
severity of our northern winters. This, of course, is best effected 
by the building of good barns; but particularly upon the open 
prairie, and in the Western States where the cost of building ma- 
terial is heavy, and the means and energy of the farmer are ab- 
sorbed in the development of his farm, this is impracticable, and 
it becomes an interesting question, how, in a short time and at 
small expense, to provide a substitute. We answer without hesi- 
tation, in the growth of the evergreen screen. This, of course, will 
not turn aside the rain, and only imperfectly the snow, but will 
form an almost complete barrier against the chilling winds which 
often follow, and absorb more animal heat than rain and snow 
combined. For this purpose close planting is desirable, and for a 
complete wind-break double alternate rows thus ° ° ° ° with 
a distance of about 6x8 feet intervening, and the direction of the 
prevailing winds will always indicate the proper place and form of 
planting, where a complete enclosure is not attainable. 

Another important feature is the protection of residences in ex- 
posed situations, and the consequent saving of fuel, and preserva- 
tion of health. This has been repeatedly tried with the best re- 
sults. In "Warder's Hedges and Evergreens," he says: "J.J. 
Thomas has stated his conviction, after considerable observation 
and actual experience, that on many bleak situations, at least one- 
half of the fuel consumed might be saved by planting twenty-five 
to fifty good evergreen trees across the sweep of the prevailing 
winds." This is certainly very high authority, and sanctioned by 
Dr. Warder and many others, may lie placed in the front rank of 
evidence. 

Evergreen roots will bear little exposure, and should be well pro- 
tected in removal, as they do not readily recover from the drying 
effects of sun and wind. As taken from the nursery they have 
usually been removed several times, and by their successive root 
primings, are well provided with a close fibrous root growth, and 
if carefully planted while yet dormant in early spring, which is 
undoubtedly the best time for transplanting them, they will scarce- 
ly realize the change; but with careful handling they may be 
moved at almost any time in the year. When the removal of 
largf trees is contemplated, it will be found of great benefit to 



28 SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE. 



trench around them, within two or three feet of the tree, early in 
the previous season, cutting off all side roots, and refilling the 
trench lightly. This will cause a growth of fibrous roots near the 
body of the tree, and while the earth is frozen hard during the fol- 
lowing winter, it may be taken up anil reset with the greatest fa- 
cility (by again opening the trench and cutting the vertical roots), 
with nearly all the earth adhering to the roots. As the eyergreen 
usually remains where planted, without cultivation, it is impor- 
tant that the soil be well prepared previous to planting. This 
should be done by deep and wide digging, and the addition of well 
rotted manure or ashes, or rich surface soil— avoid fresh animal 
manures— and ashes, if preferable, as a top-dressing. 

To keep the tree in balance and preserve its pyramidal form, 
which is always desirable, cut back, while dormant in the spring, 
a part of the previous season's growth, and allow but one leader or 
terminal upright shoot to remain. This method of pruning will 
alwa\ s be found sufficient if closely watched and exercised with 
good judgment, and should never be over-reached, as it requires a 
long time to recover from the evil effects of cutting back upon the 
old wood. By following out this system annually, all irregularities 
may be completely overcome and a symmetrical form preserved. 



Conclusion. 

As a nurseryman, the writer of the preceding pages has had fre- 
quent cause to regret the prevailing ignorance of (be facts they treat 
of. It has often been said that the loss of trees sustains the business 
of tree raising ; but there could be no greater mistake than this, for 
when trees are lost it usually reacts with doubled effect upon the 
nursery that sold them, and embitters the prejudice of the buyer 
against the trade everywhere. It is well known to tree dealers that 
the men who succeed best in the management of their trees are 
the most constant purchasers, and the intelligent salesman always 
looks to a community of successful fruit growers tor his heaviest 
sales. Unfortunately for both, their number is comparatively 
small, and it was with the hope of increasing it, by placing within 
reach of the smallest planter, in a condensed form, such informa- 
tion as is indispensable to the fruit grower, and has heretofore been 
widely scattered through large and expensive fruit books, that this 
work was begun. With the same bone it is now submitted to the 
popular judgment. 



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